Antifriction thrust-plate.



No- 799,765. PATENTED SEPT 19, 1905.

. A. W. TWEEDEN.

ANTIFRIGTION THRUST PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16. 1905.

WITNESSES: INVENTOK.

9%. G. 36 Wowm. /%arauld 71268020 ANDREI/V W. TWEEDEN, OF TACOMA,WASHINGTON.

ANTIFRICTION THRUST-PLATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed February 16, 1905. Serial No. 245,908.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ANDREW W. TWEEDEN, acitizen of the United States of America, residing at Tacoma, in thecounty of Pierce and State of VYashington, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Antifriction Thrust-Plates, of which thefollowing is a specification, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to antifriction thrustplates,'and has for itsobject to reduce the wear on plates which are placed on a revolvingshaft between two surfaces and which have to travel along said shaft andto transmit pressure between said surfaces.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in whichFigure 1 is a front view of a portion of my device. Fig. 2 is across-section thereof. Fig. 3 is a front view on asmaller scale, andFig. 4 is a section showing my device as applied to the drum of a hoist.

Similar numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views.

My invention consists of an annular body 1, having a shoulder of greaterthickness around the central hole and having supplementary pairs ofrings 2, 3, and 4 secured toits faces and having balls 5, retained inplace by said rings, and also an inner set of balls 6 within a recess 7,opening around the central hole. The recess 7 is constructed so that itssides will allow the balls to be inserted in place, but will not allowthem to slip out sidewise when the plate is in use. These balls 6support the annulus 1 on the shaft and allow it to have perfectly freemotion around the shaft and also along the shaft. The rings 2 are fittedaround the shoulders of the annulus and have their outer edges concaved,so as to act in conjunction with the oppositely-concaved surfaces on thenext rings 3 to form channels in which the balls 5 roll freely, but fromwhich they cannot fall. The surface of the annulus 1 may also be groovedslightly, if necessary, along the path of the balls 5. Similarly theouter edges of the rings 8 are concaved to form a passage for an outerrow of balls 5 in conjunction with the oppositely concaved edges of theouter rings 4:. The outer rings 4 are concaved only on their inneredges. All these rings 2, 3, and 4 are securely fastened by rivets orotherwise to the annulus 1. The balls 5 transmit the side pressurepractically without friction, and as they are applied to both sides ofthe annulus it is evident that they will turn less rapidly, andtherefore with less friction-than would be the case if the an nulus wasnot free to revolve and the balls merely pressed against the adjacentrevolvin surface. 7

In Fig. 4: I have illustrated one application of my improvedantifriction-plate in which it is placed next toa drum 8 of ahoisting-engine, the said drum being loose on the shaft 9. r Thepressure is produced by the screwcasting 10, operated by the lever 11and having a flat surface bearing against one set of the balls 5. Theother set of balls 5 press against the surface of the drum 8. When thelever 11 is moved, the casting 10 forces the annulus to roll along therevolving shaft 9 on the balls 6 until the balls 5 press the side of thedrum 8. Then as the drum 8 is moved sidewise on the shaft 9 it comes incontact with its friction driving mechanism and revolves, and as thereis practically no friction between the casting l0 and the drum 8 theoperator can regulate the amount of friction between the drum and itsdriving mechanism with great nicety. Further, the effort required toaccomplish this is very materially reduced.

Having described myinvention, what I claim is" 1. An antifriction-platecomprising an annulus with a groove surrounding and communicating withthe central hole thereof, grooves concentric with said central hole andhaving converging sides whereby balls are retained therein, and ballsoperating freely in all said grooves.

2. An antifriction-plate comprising an annulus with a central flangesurrounding the central hole thereof, a groove in said annulus andsurrounding and communicating with the said central hole thereof,concentric rings secured to said annulus and separated from each otherand having converging sides whereby balls are retained in the spacestherebetween,

and balls operating freely in said groove and ted parallel with saidshaft between a station in the spaces between said concentric rings. arypressure-block and a revolving body. 0 3. In athrust-plate, an annulussurrounding In testimony whereof I aifix my signature in itssupporting-shaft, antifriction means bepresence of two witnesses.

tween said shaft and said annulus whereby said ANDRE W. TWEEDEN. annulusmay freely move around and along Witnesses; said shaft, andantifrictionmeans on the sides ALEXANDER REITH,

of said annulus whereby pressure is transmit- G. O. (JALENTINE.

